Top 7 ICU Nurse Interview Questions to Ask

Hiring managers understand the challenges of keeping an intensive care unit (ICU) fully staffed. Due to the high-stress environment and potential for career advancements from the ICU, healthcare professionals in these units have one of the highest burnout rates of any specialty. If you’re looking to hire a nurse for your clinical team, asking the right ICU nurse interview questions can help you find the best fit for your unit.

In this facility guide, we’ll list seven interview questions you can ask to ensure the nurse you hire has the skills and education necessary to care for your unique patient population. We’ll review answers to listen out for and provide potential follow-up questions you can ask to glean additional insight into a candidate’s answer.

Before outlining your ICU interview questions, you’ll want to write an informative ICU nurse job description that showcases the perks of working for your facility. Browse local ICU nurse jobs to ensure your advertised ICU nurse salary, benefits package, and scheduling options are competitive. Once you’ve posted your job description, you’re ready to begin interviewing candidates.

The following downloadable candidate evaluation form can help you take note of nurse responses and fairly evaluate each candidate’s preparedness and professionalism.

Why ICU Nurses Are in High Demand

Intensive care nurses have a unique skill set required to care for patients with complex medical needs. Their job duties involve managing advanced equipment and multiple drips while closely monitoring patients for subtle condition changes. This requires a knowledge base that’s developed with time, experience, and advanced training.

Competent ICU nurses can be hard to find — and just as difficult to keep. For many nurses, the ICU is seen as a jumping-off point for an advanced practice career. For others, working in a stressful environment that challenges a nurse’s morality and personal values can cause irreparable burnout.

In a healthcare climate where more nurses are leaving the profession than ever, the average nursing unit may have more new graduates than experienced nurses. This comes at a time when the younger generations of nurses have a greater focus on work-life balance and a lower tolerance for toxic cultures contributing to burnout. As you work to bring in new hires, keep in mind that finding ways to improve their working conditions can help you keep these valuable professionals for the long-term.

ICU Nursing Interview Questions

As a hiring manager, it’s important to accept the fact that turnover is inevitable, and you may find it more important to focus on a nurse’s competency and skills instead of their potential for longevity. These ICU nurse interview questions are designed to help managers find the best fit for current needs while considering the generational challenges impacting the future of nursing.

1. Provide an example of a situation where you had to make a decision under pressure and time was limited. What happened?

ICU nurses frequently have to make split-second decisions, as a patient’s conditions can change at a moment’s notice. This question evaluates the decision-making skills necessary to thrive in this environment. It also allows a nurse to demonstrate resourcefulness and willingness to ask for help in emergencies.

This question can be customized depending on the type of ICU you’re interviewing for. For example, consider customizing cardiac ICU nurse interview questions to reflect the needs of patients recovering from heart surgery.

What to listen for:

• Demonstrates an ability to problem solve under pressure
• Understands the nursing chain-of-command and who to ask for help

Potential follow-up questions:

• Have you ever made a mistake on the job? How did you work to minimize patient harm?
• What are three qualities of a high-performing multidisciplinary team?

2. Describe a time you showed initiative to make improvements in a nursing unit. How was your idea received?

Taking initiative is important in the ICU, as the bedside nurse is often the first person to catch condition changes that require an intervention. By asking initiative interview questions, the interviewer can evaluate a nurse’s readiness to bring new ideas to the team. Whether it’s through a quality improvement project or simply bringing up a patient concern during rounds, it’s always a good sign when a nurse is comfortable contributing to team decisions.

What to listen for:

• Shows excitement and curiosity at the opportunity to improve health outcomes
• Demonstrates strong communication skills and leadership traits

Potential follow-up questions:

• What strategies do you use to reduce the incidence of central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs)?
• Have you ever presented research findings at a nursing conference? If so, tell me a bit more about your experience.

3. Give an example of a time you prevented a small problem from becoming a major issue. What was the outcome?

A candidate should be able to demonstrate the ability to analyze problems and anticipate the outcome. This can inform important clinical decisions, which can be a matter of life or death in the ICU.

Some candidates freeze when asked situational questions on the spot. Consider having a bank of ICU nurse interview questions and answers to suggest common scenarios if they need help getting started.

What to listen for:

• Prioritizes patient safety over personal pride
• Understands the importance of speaking up during a critical situation

Potential follow-up questions:

• What would you do if you witnessed a coworker completing a task against company protocols?
• Have you ever been a part of a poorly performing team? How did you work through the challenges?

4. Give an example of a time you advocated for patient safety despite differing opinions. What happened?

Patient advocacy is essential in the ICU, where nurses often speak for individuals who aren’t able to make decisions for themselves. When team members disagree on a decision affecting patient care, a nurse is challenged to maintain professionalism while offering another viewpoint. Find out how the candidate would handle this common situation for medically complex patients.

What to listen for:

• Represents the patient and advocates for their wishes during ICU rounds
• Understands the importance of collaborating with support staff like therapists, social workers, and the palliative care team

Potential follow-up questions:

• Have you ever had a patient refuse treatment? What was the outcome of the situation?
• How would you support a patient or family member who just received bad news?

5. Describe a time when you had to solve a problem with very little guidance.

This question measures a nurse’s ability to use critical thinking at the bedside. Nurses face many decisions throughout the shift, and their clinical experiences help inform quick decisions. By asking problem-solving ICU nurse interview questions, you can get a better sense of their decision-making processes and how they arrive at solutions.

What to listen for:

• Shows an ability to think and make decisions independently
• Demonstrates a willingness to ask clarifying questions if unsure how to proceed

Potential follow-up questions:

• What would you do to support a coworker who was struggling through a busy shift?
• How would you teach a patient to care for a new wound graft?

6. What would you do in a situation where you had two critically ill patients who needed immediate attention at the same time?

Critical care nurses are often faced with a situation where more than one patient needs attention at once. This is where having a foundation of time management and patient prioritization is crucial. This question allows the nurse to discuss how they organize their thoughts and responsibilities on a shift.

Feel free to swap out realistic, unit-specific examples in this scenario-based interview question. Consider asking ICU scenario interview questions to prompt nurses to recall how they’d prioritize patients with conditions commonly seen in your unit.

What to listen for:

• Knows how to prioritize patient care according to acuity and risk
• Isn’t afraid to ask for help or call the rapid response team to ensure a patient’s needs are met

Potential follow-up questions:

• How would you minimize fall risk for a patient recovering from hip surgery?
• Why is it important to involve family members in a patient’s plan of care?

7. How have you demonstrated leadership in previous roles?

Whether a nurse is just beginning their professional career or has years of experience, they’ve likely had the opportunity to demonstrate leadership in the past. This tells hiring managers they can take initiative and participate in quality improvement on the unit. For new graduates, encourage the candidate to answer ICU nurse interview questions like this one by giving examples from internship or nursing school experience.

What to listen for:

• Lists previous experiences working as a charge nurse, team captain, or code leader
• Shows a willingness to step in and take on additional responsibilities when necessary

Potential follow-up questions:

• Do you have any experience precepting new graduates?
• What makes you most excited to join our ICU nursing team?

Find Compassionate Clinicians for Every Hiring Need

Asking well-written ICU nurse interview questions is crucial to hiring a great candidate, but encouraging the right clinicians to apply for your vacant position can be the biggest challenge. By posting your job openings to the nation’s leading healthcare hiring board, you can match with over 1 million skilled and qualified professionals actively looking for work.